15 Years of Backspacer

Sea
Sea Posts: 3,131
edited September 2024 in The Porch
15 Years of Backspacer
News September 20 2024


On September 20, 2009, Pearl Jam released their ninth studio album, Backspacer. A month prior, “The Fixer” debuted as the leading single. Its music video, directed by Cameron Crowe, contained live footage of the band’s performance at The Showbox. Watch more of Pearl Jam’s live performances and album commentary in the Making of Backspacer, a short film by Danny Clinch.

Cartoonist Tom Tomorrow took the lead on the album’s artwork. For its direction, Tom suggested that, “rather than just illustrating songs, what if at least some of the images on the cover were directly inspired by the band's own memories and experiences? Images, incidents, dreams, anything that had left a psychic mark, though preferably things that were not widely known, had not been analyzed to death in interviews and so on.” His other goal? “To take the CD cover back to the days of vinyl, when album art was something that you spent time poring over.” And just like that, the band began months of collaboration with Tom.

In celebration of the album’s 15th anniversary, put your twist on Backspacer’s deeply coded art. Reimagine these cartoons in a medium of your choosing (crayons, MS Paint, markers, or even doodling on your Instagram Story). Download each blank cartoon below. If sharing to socials, be sure to tag PearlJam for a chance to be reshared.






Post edited by Sea on
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Comments

  • deb1211
    deb1211 Posts: 2,040
    Happy 15
  • elwayvedder
    elwayvedder South Jersey Posts: 9,175
    cool tidbit on the artwork - there's art work on the cover for Pendulum, which didn't make the album (obviously)
    www.operationyellowribbon.org
  • Johnny Abruzzo
    Johnny Abruzzo Philly Posts: 12,360
    "We'll commemorate the 15th anniversary of Backspacer by playing literally just two songs from it all year." ;)
    Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; Phila, PA 10/21/13; Phila,  PA 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24; Pittsburgh 5/16/25; Pittsburgh 5/18/25

    Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
  • Go Animal
    Go Animal Posts: 7,351
    Just gonna leave this right here for next Friday, please & thank you:
    1. Oceans
    2. Marker in the Sand
    3. Lukin
    4. Corduroy --> "Good Evening"
    5. Gonna See My Friend
    6. Got Some
    7. The Fixer
    8. Johnny Guitar
    9. Just Breathe --> "That was Side A. Here's the start of another Side A"
    10. Scared of Fear
    11. React, Respond
    12. Even Flow
    13. Not For You
    14. Wreckage (or Won't Tell)
    15. Superblood Wolfmoon
    16. In Hiding
    17. Porch (or RVM) -- --encore break-- --
    18. Picture in a Frame (EV)
    19. Amongst the Waves
    20. Unthought Known
    21. Supersonic
    22. Speed of Sound
    23. Force of Nature
    24. The End -- -- "That was Side B. Don't let this be the end."-- --
    25. Setting Sun
    26. Alive
    27. Yellow Ledbetter (or Fuckin' Up)

    PJ - 09/23/98: West Palm Beach II, 08/12/00: Tampa, 04/12/03: Orlando, 04/13/03: Tampa, 06/12/08: Tampa, 06/27/08: Hartford, 09/22/09: Seattle II, 04/11/16: Tampa, 05/01 & 05/02/16: MSG I & II, 09/18/21: Sea Hear Now, 10/01 & 10/02/21: Ohana Encore I & II, 05/06 & 05/07/22: Los Angeles (Inglewood) I & II, 09/11/22: MSG, 09/16/22: Nashville, 09/02/23: St. Paul II, 09/07/23: Chicago II, 09/18 & 09/19/23: Austin I & II, 05/16 & 05/18/24: Las Vegas I & II, 08/29 & 08/31/24: Wrigley Field I & II, 09/03 & 09/04/24: MSG I & II, 09/27 & 09/29/24: Ohana Festival I & II

    EV - 08/04 & 08/05/08: (Eddie solo, w/Liam Finn) NYC I & II, 11/27 & 11/28/12: (Eddie solo, w/Glen Hansard) Orlando I & II, 02/09 & 02/10/22: (Eddie & the Earthlings) Chicago I & II, 09/30/23: (Eddie & the Earthlings) Ohana Festival

    Song Wishlist: Alone, Let Me Sleep, Brother, full W.M.A., Hold On, Bugs/all of Vitalogy, Mankind, Around The Bend (full band), The Long Road, Don't Gimme No Lip, Pilate, Push Me Pull Me, All Those Yesterdays, Rival, Parting Ways, Ghost, Bu$hleaguer, WWS, Parachutes, Army Reserve, low octave Driftin', Strangest Tribe, Other Side, Undone, Fatal, Hitchhiker, Education, Black Red Yellow, Of the Earth, Love Reign O'er Me, Gonna See My Friend, Santa Cruz, Infallible, Yellow Moon, Alright, Comes Then Goes, and the Mamasan Trilogy.

    Wanted Posters: WPB '98, Tampa/WPB '00, Tampa '03, EV Batmobile '08        ISO: any picks, or setlists from any of my shows!
  • Spiritual_Chaos
    Spiritual_Chaos Posts: 31,471
    It looks better in black and white than it does with the digital overload of gradients.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,114
    The backspacer tours were so much fun.  Wish they played these songs more.  
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • 23scidoo
    23scidoo Thessaloniki,Greece Posts: 19,962
    Ι hope i never listen to the Fixer again in my life..
    Athens 2006. Dusseldorf 2007. Berlin 2009. Venice 2010. Amsterdam 1 2012. Amsterdam 1+2 2014. Buenos Aires 2015.
    Prague Krakow Berlin 2018. Berlin 2022
    EV, Taormina 1+2 2017.

    I wish i was the souvenir you kept your house key on..
  • whoyouare72
    whoyouare72 Chicago IL Posts: 2,179
    Side B of this record is awesome
  • whoyouare72
    whoyouare72 Chicago IL Posts: 2,179
    Who remembers these bouncy balls from the mystery boxes? 📦

  • Loujoe
    Loujoe Posts: 11,716
     B)
     
  • Loujoe
    Loujoe Posts: 11,716
    23scidoo said:
    Ι hope i never listen to the Fixer again in my life..
    This^
  • jwhjr17
    jwhjr17 Posts: 2,077
    23scidoo said:
    Ι hope i never listen to the Fixer again in my life..
    +1
    1998-06-30 Mpls | 2006-07-06 Las Vegas
    2010-05-03 Kansas City | 2011-07-01 St. Louis EV
    2011-07-02 Mpls EV | 2011-09-03 PJ20
    2011-09-04 PJ20 | 2011-09-17 Winnipeg
    2012-09-30 Missoula | 2012-11-18 Tulsa EV
    2013-07-19 Chicago | 2013-11-15 Dallas
    2013-11-16 OKC | 2014-10-09 Lincoln
    2014-10-17 Moline | 2014-10-19 St. Paul
    2014-10-20 Milwaukee | 2016-08-20 Chicago
    2016-08-22 Chicago | 2018-08-18 Chicago
    2018-08-20 Chicago | 2022-05-09 Phoenix
    2022-05-20 Las Vegas | 2022-09-18 St. Louis 
    2022-09-20 OKC | 2023-08-31 St. Paul
    2023-09-02 St. Paul | 2024-05-16 Las Vegas
    2024-05-18 Las Vegas | 2024-08-31 Chicago
  • jwhjr17
    jwhjr17 Posts: 2,077
    whoyouare72 said:
    Who remembers these bouncy balls from the mystery boxes? 📦

    Yes, I think I have a couple of them still in a box somewhere.
    1998-06-30 Mpls | 2006-07-06 Las Vegas
    2010-05-03 Kansas City | 2011-07-01 St. Louis EV
    2011-07-02 Mpls EV | 2011-09-03 PJ20
    2011-09-04 PJ20 | 2011-09-17 Winnipeg
    2012-09-30 Missoula | 2012-11-18 Tulsa EV
    2013-07-19 Chicago | 2013-11-15 Dallas
    2013-11-16 OKC | 2014-10-09 Lincoln
    2014-10-17 Moline | 2014-10-19 St. Paul
    2014-10-20 Milwaukee | 2016-08-20 Chicago
    2016-08-22 Chicago | 2018-08-18 Chicago
    2018-08-20 Chicago | 2022-05-09 Phoenix
    2022-05-20 Las Vegas | 2022-09-18 St. Louis 
    2022-09-20 OKC | 2023-08-31 St. Paul
    2023-09-02 St. Paul | 2024-05-16 Las Vegas
    2024-05-18 Las Vegas | 2024-08-31 Chicago
  • HailHailVitalogy
    HailHailVitalogy Posts: 6,013
    mcgruff10 said:
    The backspacer tours were so much fun.  Wish they played these songs more.  
    The best tour post 2003
    2003: Uniondale, MSG x2 | 2004: Reading | 2005: Gorge, Vancouver, Philly | 2006: East Rutherford x2, Gorge x2, Camden 1, Hartford | 2008: MSG x2, VA Beach | 2009: Philly x3 | 2010: MSG x2, Bristow | 2011: Alpine Valley x2 | 2012: MIA Philly | 2013: Wrigley, Charlottesville, Brooklyn 2 | 2014: Milan, Amsterdam 1 | 2016: MSG x2, Fenway x2, Wrigley 2 | 2018: Rome, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 2 | 2021: Sea Hear Now | 2022: San Diego, LA x2, MSG, Camden, Nashville, St. Louis, Denver | 2023: St. Paul 1, Chicago x2, Fort Worth x2, Austin 2 | 2024: Las Vegas 1, Seattle x2, Indy, MSG x2, Philly x2, Baltimore, Ohana 2 | 2025: Florida x2, Atlanta x2, Pittsburgh x2
  • TheReplicant
    TheReplicant Portland, OR Posts: 30
    15 years? Too fast. Amazing album and fond memories of listening to it and being blown away by how energetic the music was and how thoughtful the lyrics were. Thanks for this post!
  • TheReplicant
    TheReplicant Portland, OR Posts: 30
    jwhjr17 said:
    whoyouare72 said:
    Who remembers these bouncy balls from the mystery boxes? 📦

    Yes, I think I have a couple of them still in a box somewhere.
    I'd love one if you're willing to part or trade for it!
  • xavier mcdaniel
    xavier mcdaniel Somewhere in NYC Posts: 9,435
    I enjoyed the listening party in West Seattle at Easy Street records.
    Reading 2004
    Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
    Chicago 2007
    Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
    Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
    Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
    Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
    Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
    Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
    Fenway 2, 2018
    MSG 2022
    St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
    MSG 2024, MSG 2024
    Philadelphia 2024
    "I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
    Things happen in the game. Nothing you
    can do. I don't go and say,
    "I'm gonna beat this guy up."
  • coco butter
    coco butter Posts: 1,494
    edited September 2024
    Those Philly shows at the Spectrum will always remind me of this album. I consider myself lucky to have been at one of them (10/31-Final Night) and able to hear many of the songs off Backspacer. 
    Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. Sorry, Ted, that's a dumb question... skip that.
  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,120
    Holy crap that went fast. I have one of those super balls. It has yellowed a bit over time.
  • BrainofBGA
    BrainofBGA Australia Posts: 4,558
    edited September 2024
    The Melbourne 09 show during the Backspacer tour was the best PJ show I’ve been too other than my first in ‘98. Albeit I’ve only been to 7 shows here in Australia. But it was a large crowd, same venue as the upcoming DM tour venue. I think they played about 8-9 Ten songs, still had room for 4-5 BS song's (including Force of Nature) and a mid set Oceans, Brother, Ben Harper on Red Mos and Indifference and a cover of NY’s Needle and Damage Done. 
    Post edited by BrainofBGA on
    Melbourne #1 '98
    Melbourne #2 '03
    Melbourne #3 '03
    Melbourne #1 '06
    Melbourne #3 '06
    Melbourne '09
    Melbourne '14

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